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Resurrection Christian School starts up track program ... even without a track to call its own

By Kevin Lytle Sports Writer

Posted:
03/09/2012 11:38:20 PM MST

Resurrection Christian School junior Trent Buxman flies through the air toward the sand pit while practicing the long jump with other members of the school's track and field team on Tuesday.
(
Steve Stoner
)

The Resurrection Christian School track team meets every afternoon in a classroom in the school. The group then does a warm-up lap circling the soccer and baseball fields before breaking into groups that practice anywhere from on one half of the soccer field to out in the parking lot.

It's all part of what a new team goes through in its first year without all of the traditional amenities a track program usually uses ... like a track.

RCS doesn't yet have a facility at school, but that doesn't keep the Cougars from practicing all the events they will compete in during meets.

"We're just trying to be as creative as possible and just find ways to get them familiar with the events and what it's going to look like on a track, without actually having a track," said Luke Appleton, who has been put in charge of the first-year program.

And if there is a thought the kids may not like the ragtag practice methods, think again. A quick look around sees teammates giving each other tips and having fun practicing what is to most of them a new sport. They certainly aren't too concerned with where they practice, they just have to look out for cars every now and then.

"We're making do with what we've got here," senior Ben Hoyer said. "All you need is a good pair of legs underneath you and a good pair of lungs in your chest and you can be good at track."

The decision to start a track program at RCS has been in the works for more than a year, with the school starting at the lower ages and building up.

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"We started middle school track last spring and had a very successful season with the number of kids who were interested and turned out for that," athletic director Rich Yonker said. "So we wanted to be in continuity with that and begin to add the same sports from our middle school program up to our high school program."

While the middle school provided a couple of athletes to this year's team, it was far from enough to fill out a full squad. So Appleton has become chief recruiter along with his coaching duties, and as kids come out for the team, he encourages them to tell their friends to come out as well.

And every day he seems to add more kids as winter sports end and word spreads through the school about the track program.

"The biggest thing I think program building-wise, for me, is getting a buzz going," Appleton said. "Get kids excited, get the middle school kids excited because they'll be coming up in a couple of years."

He has lots of cross country runners on his team and is adding more and more basketball players as that season ends, but while he has many multi-sport athletes, only a handful have actually competed in track and field before.

"We are pretty excited to have it," Yonker said. "We have some young men and young women that are running around and getting excited. I think that there's legitimately some real excitement and enthusiasm for competing in track and field."

It may be reasonable for expectations to be low in this first year. The team, after all, doesn't even have a track. But that perception would be wrong. The Cougars schedule, while light on events, is strategically put together so they are competing in the biggest events that will allow the kids the best chances to qualify for state, with the first meet coming in late March.

The competitive fire comes out when talking about expectations for the season.

"Get established in the state right off the bat," senior Jake Mandos said. "Rez, we're one of the best teams in the state in everything we do."

Appleton isn't exactly sure how good his team might be, but early on he already sees natural talent that may be able to make some noise in RCS' first season.

He expects Trent Buxman to excel in the triple jump, and calls Hoyer "one of the most mature high school leaders" he has been around. Likewise, he thinks that Amarie Stocker and that Preston and Rileigh Lienemann have a chance to be top performers.

No matter how long the practices in the parking lot continue -- Yonker says that there are plans to build a stadium with a track in the near future -- Appleton is just hoping to transfer his lifelong love of track onto his pupils.

"My biggest goal, honestly, is to come out here and have fun and enjoy it and make the sport seem important to them," Appleton said. "Everybody can learn to love something in track."

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